ROCKPORT — Lung health plays a vital role in daily life, influencing energy levels, heart function, sleep quality, mental well-being and more. Yet, changes in a person’s breathing often go unnoticed until they become serious.

“The worst thing you can do is ignore changes to your breathing,” said Suzan Collins, lung health educator for all of MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital’s primary care practices, including Family Medicine, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. “If you’re finding it harder to do the things you normally do, talk to someone. Early awareness and action can make all the difference in your lung health.”

“If you can’t breathe, nothing else matters,” Collins said. “Changes in lung function are subtle—until they’re not. People often assume shortness of breath is just from gaining a few pounds or being out of shape, but it can signal something more significant.

Early warning signs are easy to dismiss, but over time, they can progress into serious—and surprisingly common—conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Environmental factors also play a role. “Air quality, dust, fragrance, heating sources—even carpets and cleaning products —can affect how well you breathe,” Collins said. “It’s about being aware of your environment and taking steps to protect yourself.”

Collins also emphasizes the emotional side of lung health. “The biggest misconception is that its someone’s fault,” she said. “People think, ‘I smoked,’ or ‘I’m overweight,’ and that blame creates anxiety, which can make breathing even harder. It is not your fault. What matters is being proactive and informed.”

At MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital, primary care patients can be connected with Collins following a conversation with their primary care provider. Collins is one of three advanced practice respiratory therapists within MaineHealth—a role that blends clinical expertise, patient education and research.

She works on-on-one with patients in their primary care offices, reviews lab results and collaborates closely with providers to determine the best care plan. She assesses and educates patients on effective inhaler techniques, teaches breathing exercises, identifies triggers and offers strategies to reduce environmental exposures at home, work and school. If additional support is needed, she connects patients to resources such as anxiety management, diagnostic testing, specialists and even services for mold and mildew removal or medication access.

Collins’ work at Pen Bay Hospital began with asthma care, where her efforts led to measurable results reported by the Maine Asthma Prevention and Control Program. Adults in the MaineHealth Asthma Grant Program at Pen Bay Hospital saw an 82% drop in emergency visits, while children’s visits in the group fell 88%. Hospitalizations dropped by more than 65% and nearly two-thirds of the patients moved from uncontrolled to well-controlled asthma.

Building on this success, her role now supports patients with a variety of respiratory diseases, offering proactive lung health screenings, pulmonary function tests and individualized evaluations. This approach helps patients manage symptoms effectively and enjoy a better quality of life.

Community members who are not Pen Bay Hospital patients can still benefit from lung health services by attending one of the Coastal Communities Better Breathers Group meetings offered through the hospital:

 Better Breathers Group (adults) meet on the third Wednesday of each month 10 to 11 a.m. in the Beebe Health Center First Floor Conference Room, located at 15 Anchor Drive, Rockport

 Kicking Asthma Youth (ages 7 to 11) meets the second Wednesday of each month from 6 to 7 p.m. in Conference Rooms C and D on the ground floor of the Pen Bay Hospital Physicians Building, located at 4 Glen Cove Dr., Rockport

 Teens Kicking Asthma Breathe Well Group (ages 12 to17) meet on the third Wednesday of each month from 6 to 7 p.m. in Conference Rooms C and D on the ground floor of the Pen Bay Hospital Physicians Building, located at 4 Glen Cove Dr., Rockport

For more information or to register for one of the sessions, email Suzan.Collins@mainehealth.org.

MaineHealth is a not-for-profit, integrated health system whose vision is, “Working together so our communities are the healthiest in America,” and is committed to a mission of providing high-quality affordable care, educating tomorrow's caregivers and researching better ways to provide care. MaineHealth includes a Level 1 trauma medical center, eight additional licensed hospitals, comprehensive pediatric care services, an extensive behavioral health care network, diagnostic services as well as home health, hospice and senior care services. With more than 2,000 employed providers and approximately 23,000 care team members, MaineHealth provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. MaineHealth hospitals include MaineHealth Behavioral Health at Spring Harbor in Westbrook, MaineHealth Franklin Hospital in Farmington, MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta, MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland, Biddeford and Sanford, MaineHealth Memorial Hospital in North Conway, N.H., MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital in Rockport, MaineHealth Stephens Hospital in Norway and MaineHealth Waldo Hospital in Belfast. MaineHealth also includes the MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland, MaineHealth Behavioral Health in Westbrook, MaineHealth Home Health and Hospice in Saco, the MaineHealth Institute for Research in Scarborough, the MaineHealth Medical Group and MaineHealth NorDx in Scarborough. MaineHealth affiliates include Maine General Health in Augusta and Waterville and St. Mary's Health System in Lewiston. It is also a significant stakeholder in the MaineHealth Accountable Care Organization in Portland and a joint venture partner in the New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Portland.